Love Over Time
by Calie1
Summary: It should have been obvious from the start, two young men traveling from the future...
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this has been in the works for a bit. I need to thank novadelphone for doing the editing. And also thanks to dhfreak for the banner! If you go to my profile you can find the link to my LJ and see the banner. This story will not be super long. Maybe three chapters. But long ones. Hope you enjoy. I really like this one.

* * *

Chloe stretched in her chair, arching her back until she heard a satisfying crack. It was midway through the day and she hadn't heard from anyone, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing; as boring as the silence was, it was kind of a blessing in her line of work.

Standing, she turned away from her computers and headed through the double doors of the watchtower in search of something to eat, knowingher computers would continue to monitor in her absence.

She didn't even hear the commotion behind her as the doors swung shut.

* * *

Scrambling up from the floor they were suddenly sprawled out on, two young men gaped at their surroundings.

"Whoa," the lanky blond mumbled. "Cool."

The second man nodded in slow agreement, the movement making his dark hair fall into his eyes.

"Yea...what is it?"

"Are you serious? You are aren't you? I think your mother bottle fed you kryptonite."

"I was breast fed."

"Really? I mean really? I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear about your mother's boobs."

"I'm not talking about her-! You're an idiot**.** I don't even know why I bother arguing with you. It never gets me anywhere."

"The feeling is mutual."

"So**,** where are we?"

"Stop right there," a familiar voice called out, causing the two men to freeze and glance at each other worriedly.

"I thought you said..." The brunette whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Shhhhh**!**"

"I've got a gun pointed at both of you. What are you doing here?" Chloe announced, cocking the weapon in her hand so they'd get the full effect.

"No!" The blond man exclaimed as he spun around and put his hands up, eyes widening in panic. "It was an accident, I swear. Look we don't mean you any harm."

"How did you get here?" Chloe demanded, narrowing her eyes and taking a few steps closer.

"Ummm." The blond man looked over to his darker haired companion.

Chloe watched the second young man, who had yet to speak in front of her, shake his head quickly. "It was an accident."

"We swear," the blond added.

"I'm losing my patience very quickly," she warned and her threat had the brunette biting his lip, obviously trying not to smile as he elbowed the blond. "Something funny?"

"No." The blond shook his head. "Look, you're making me nervous. Can't you just put the gun down?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, fine. Look, we um… It really was an accident. This woman..."

"Very bad woman," the brunette tagged on helpfully.

The blond nodded in agreement. "She was trying to come back to the past. She wanted to change things. We weren't able to stop her, but we did manage to hitch a ride."

"So you're from the future?" Chloe asked with a frown. "Right."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Chloe pursed her lips thoughtfully. "When?"

"About twenty-five years from now," the blond answered. "Look, we have to find her, she has the Legion ring." He got another elbow in his rib. "Look, I have a gun at my head," he growled angrily.

"The Legion ring?" Chloe whispered softly, momentarily lowering the gun before she quickly shook her head a raised it again.

"Yea and if we don't find her soon, who knows what kind of damage she'll do," the blond said pleadingly.

"I have an idea," the brunette mumbled.

"What are your names?" Chloe questioned. The two men looked at one another, and she couldn't help but get the feeling that they didn't want to share that information with her.

"I'm Connor," the blond headed man responded and then nodded to his brunette friend. "This is Elliot."

"Hi," Elliot offered with a wave, flashing a boyish grin.

Chloe narrowed her eyes again. They seemed harmless, but that didn't mean much. If they were telling her the truth and they came after some woman with the intent to stop her, Chloe had to wonder what kind of arsenal they planned on using to do so.

"Look we really don't have time for this," Connor said impatiently. "I know you don't trust us, but you have to because if you don't, there's no telling what she may do."

Slowly Chloe lowered her arm, bringing the gun down to her side. "Did you get here with her?"

Connor sighed in relief. "Yea, but she came through before us and when we hit the ground she was long gone."

"And you came here?" Chloe asked carefully, once again becoming suspicious. "How did you even get in? Better still, how did you even know to come here?" They looked at each other silently, obviously uncomfortable with her interrogation.

"We can't." She opened her mouth to argue, but Connor started again. "It isn't that we don't want to. We just can't. There's no limit to what we could change here and that isn't what we want. We just want to stop her from changing things."

She seemed to regard him silently. "Please. I swear. Haven't you ever had secrets that you wanted to tell someone but you couldn't?" Connor could see the fight leaving her and he breathed a mental sigh of relief. He had been right to prey on the secrets she had been forced to keep, even if it had been a low blow.

"Who is she after?"

* * *

They sat around the table, looking at each other nervously.

"Clark can help," Chloe repeated for what was probably the fifth time. "If you're right, and this woman is after him, he needs to know."

"Him and Lois Lane," Elliot corrected.

"I know, I know," Chloe assured him. "We've got some friends on that. But we can't bring her here. She doesn't-."

"We get it," Elliot said a little more sharply then he would have liked. Pushing the chair away from the table he stood up and walked towards one of the windows.

"What's wrong with him?" Chloe inquired and nodded to the dark haired man. He'd been in pretty high spirits when they'd arrived - a bit silly for her tastes actually - but now his demeanor was quickly changing.

"I think he's finally realizing what could happen." Elliot turned then, narrowing his eyes in Connor's direction. "He'll be fine."

"You're not worried?" Chloe observed.

"I am," Connor shrugged in response. "I'm just better at hiding it then him."

"Not better at hiding it," Elliot piped up. "Just better at not dealing with things that bother you.

"Chloe?!"

"In here Clark," Chloe called out and the two boys stood up at his arrival. "Meet Connor and Elliot."

"Hi," Clark said unsurely and then turned to face Chloe. "So, you said my life is in danger?"

"Yea, go figure." He frowned at her joke. "These two seem to know a lot about us. They knew how to find me, they know about the Legion Ring and they know about you." Chloe nodded towards Clark. "Everything."

"Everything?" Clark repeated slowly.

"Yea, alien heritage and all that," Connor said off-handedly. "But that doesn't matter. The more time we waste talking about what we know and who we are, the longer she's out there and that means more danger for you and Lois."

"Why?"

Elliot sighed. "We don't have time for this! Either you are going to help us or not. If not we'll be on our way." Silence hung heavily in the air between the four. "Fine, let's go."

Elliot moved for the door, only to find himself face to face with Clark.

"No," Clark disagreed. "We'll help you. If you're telling the truth and are trying to save us, then we'll help. So what are we dealing with?"

"She's a master assassin, skilled with weapons and an expert with toxins." Chloe supplied as she grabbed her notebook and pulled up the bit of information she had. "Her name is Jade Nguyen, aka Cheshire. In our time, she's off the radar, just showing up here and there because of an assassination or bombing. It appears she's still honing her skills." Chloe turned around to face Clark. "She doesn't have any superhuman abilities and isn't alien – although, for some reason she has poisonous finger nails. Whatever she is, she's a good killer and with her expertise in toxins, say she could easily whip up something pretty dangerous with kryptonite."

"So what's the plan?"

"Our time traveling friends here said they stopped her from stealing some kryptonite in their time, so she apparently decided to take a trip into the past so she could get her hands on some kryptonite now." Chloe turned back to face the screen. "I'm monitoring any place within a five-hundred mile radius that may have kryptonite. If she breaks into one of them we'll know. In the meantime, I suggest you get out there and see if you can pick up on something out of the blue."

Clark nodded, studying the picture of the asian woman carefully. "How old is she?"

"She's fifteen in our time and these two claim they came twenty-five years from the future, so she's around forty."

"Alright," he turned away from the screen and looked to Chloe, "and Lois?"

"Taken care of. She's got eyes on her at all times, including mine."

"Alright, let me know if you find out anything." Clark turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by one of the young men.

"Let me help you," Elliott said evenly.

"Look, I really don't think...."

"I can, I get it." Elliot finished the older man's thought, pausing for a moment as his eyes searched the room before he squinted at a metal lamp in a corner.

The others in the room watched as two familiar red beams shot from his eyes, melting the lamp down to a puddle.

"You're..." The shock was too much for Chloe to even finish the thought and, instead, she took a few hesitant steps towards the destroyed lamp.

"Kryptonian," Elliot supplied. "There are a few more of us in my time. Not as strong as Kal-El, but strong enough in our own right."

Connor sighed and threw his hands up in the air. "Unbelievable."

The guarded look on Clark's face was evident and Elliot worked quickly to appeal to him. "We just want to help."

"Clark, just take him with you."

Clark turned back to Chloe, who had finally overcome her own shock. "Chloe...."

"Clark, either you want to save Lois or not."

"Fine, let's go."

Before Elliot could move to follow him Connor grabbed his arm, spinning him back around. "Open you big mouth again and I swear I'm going to make you regret it."

"Big words, what are you going to back them up with?" Elliot challenged.

"I'm surprised you would even ask."

"Okay boys," Chloe stepped forward and pressed her palm against Connor's chest, but he didn't move with her first push. "Step back! Now!" They seemed to notice her finally and turned to face her. "You will not be fighting in my tower do you understand?"

"Yes," they answered simultaneously, doing as they were told.

Clark watched as the two boys moved away from one another with their heads bowed slightly.

He stared at Chloe wonderingly. "What did you do?"

Chloe just shrugged and grabbed Connor's arm. "Come on."

* * *

"So you and Elliot, you're friends?" Chloe asked conversationally, peering at Connor from the corner of her eyes.

He turned to face her, finding that the hardened woman who'd been there was now gone, replaced by something much more gentle. He immediately felt the pull to answer her. "Yea, since we were kids. He's a bit hard-headed. Likes to do things his way," Connor shrugged. "But I guess the same could be said of me."

"And you," Chloe turned back to the monitor and then glanced over at him, "can you do anything?"

He laughed in response and shook his head. "I know what you're doing. You're not getting it out of me."

"Maybe next time." Turning her attention back to her work Chloe sighed. "Nothing, it's been a couple of hours and it still doesn't seem like she's made a move to find any kryptonite."

"She will," Connor nodded. "She has something in mind."

"Yeah, well-." Her words trailed off as the alarm lights started flashing, followed by the snap of the power cutting out, launching the room into silence. "Oh no."

"What?" Connor asked as he stood up and walked over to Chloe, looking around. "What is it?"

"Kryptonite," Chloe said in realization. "I have kryptonite here."

"Come on." Grabbing her hand, he yanked her towards the side of the room, panic starting to swell with the knowledge that Cheshire might have found them. "Where is the Green Arrow gear?"

"What?" Chloe turned to him, momentarily distracted from their imminent doom.

"The Green Arrow gear! I know you have it here. Where is it?"

"I…uh…" Shaking her head she moved over to the locked safe and punched in the codes, the doors sliding away to reveal one Green Arrow costume and a wide array of bows and arrows. Quickly, Connor grabbed the equipment, selecting a bow, a supply or arrows and small crossbow.

"Get down," Connor whispered as he pulled her to the floor and loaded an arrow. It was quiet, too quiet.

"I know you're here," he growled to the still room. "I'll know where you are before you even take your shot."

A loud laugh filled the space and Chloe looked around in the darkness, trying to find the woman that it belonged to.

"Maybe, but I do have over twenty years of experience on you boy. What would your poor daddy do if I killed his son? His pride and joy. Or....maybe he wouldn't care. What if he never even knew you?"

"I'm not going to let you harm Kal-El," Connor said evenly, hiding the fear that was coursing through him. If she killed him, there was still a chance that everything could be set right in the future, but if she killed his mother...

"Maybe, but I would take your life and hers as a conciliation prize."

There was no doubt in his mind at that moment that she was going to take her shot. Connor took one breath and held it.

The shot rang through the air and Chloe gasped, not even thinking to move or cover her head as Connor released an arrow. She never heard the bullet hit though. She looked up at Connor and down at her own body, searching for any injuries, but found none. Cheshire shouldn't have missed. They were prime targets sitting in the middle of the room with the light from the above window shining down on them. It was then that she realized that Cheshire hadn't missed and neither had Connor. He'd hit the bullet dead on.

Before she could wonder at his skill, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and in that split second, Connor threw the bow to the side and charged at the woman in green. Seeing her opening, Chloe ran for the exit, hoping she could get far enough to call for Clark.

"Your skills leave a lot to be desired."

Chloe stopped at the sound of the woman's voice, turning back to find Connor on the ground with a gun pointed at his head.

"No!" Her startled scream was enough of a distraction that Connor was able to knock the gun from Cheshire's hand. The assassin flipped backwards, launching herself up in the air and away from Connor.

"Run!" Connor exclaimed and grabbed the crossbow to aim at Cheshire. She dodged the first shot and he never got the chance to fire his second as Chloe's scream left his finger frozen on the trigger. His heart pounded as he stared at the sight of Cheshire using Chloe as a shield, her poison tipped fingers wrapped around the blonde's throat.

"What now Queen?" Cheshire demanded with a cocky grin. "Give me the kryptonite."

Queen. Chloe couldn't believe she hadn't seen the resemblance - wayward blond hair, statuesque build, even the attitude. That was only topped off by his knowledge of the Green Arrow gear, her tower and the archery skills. Not many people in the world could have hit that bullet with an arrow. Oliver could though.

"No," he said and shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

"Really?" She grinned and held her nails out in front of her to survey them. "What is it Queen? Save the man of steel or your own existence? Your family? Give me the kryptonite and I'll let her go."

There was no chance. Cheshire would never let her go. Without even a response he released the crossbow.

Chloe felt the feathers brush her cheek and a small breeze before the woman using her as a shield cried out. She didn't waste any time as she threw herself to the floor, ignoring the sharp pain in her arm.

None of them knew where the kryptonite was except for Chloe and Cheshire was determined to kill her for more than one reason. Connor knew he had to get her out of there. Grabbing her arm he yanked her off the floor. "Come on. Get out. You have to get out."

"I can't," Chloe gasped for breath. She tried to plant her feet in the ground, but her legs collapsed beneath her.

Panicked, he looked over her as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. "No."

"Go, get out of here," Chloe whispered. If he could at least get to Clark, they could still save him.

"No." Connor wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her across the floor. A shot rang off and he dropped for cover, hovering over her body. Grabbing the bow that he'd dropped earlier he loaded an arrow, turned and fired.

Cheshire pushed herself up from the floor, staggering forward. "I'm pretty sure I'll hit you eventually."

Connor readied his bow again, set to fire, but before he had a chance, another arrow sliced through the air, catching Cheshire sharply in the arm.

Grabbing her wound, Cheshire turned just in time to see the Green Arrow jump off the balcony, bow pulled taut.

"Next time," she hissed before she sprinted across the room and threw herself through the large window.

"Chloe."

Connor looked up at the distorted voice, watching as The Green Arrow bounded forward and dropped down on the other side of Chloe.

"Ollie," she gasped for breath and immediately regretted trying to speak.

Unconcerned about his identity, Oliver yanked off his glasses and pushed his hood back. "Chloe, what's wrong?"

"The poison," Connor said softly. "The assassin's nails, they're poison. Let me see her."

"Get your hands off of her, this is your fault." Oliver snarled and tightened his arm around her.

"I can save her!" He exclaimed, but the speculative gleam in Oliver's eyes revealed he thought otherwise. "Cheshire's poison works in minutes. I don't have much time. It's either you trust me or she's dead."

It wasn't until he saw the pain in the other man's eyes and the building tears that Oliver stood up and settled Chloe on the couch, stepping back as the young man kneeled next to her.

Connor leaned over her, touching his palm to her cheek, squeezing his eyes shut and praying that, for once, it would work when he wanted it to. Nothing happened though. There was no warmth, the sense of absorbing the wound or poison. "No." He shook his head and put his other hand on her face. Still nothing.

"Oh God."

Oliver turned at Clark's voice and swallowed. Another young man stood at his side, but he barely noticed.

"Chloe." Clark moved forward, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait," Elliott said, holding him back. "He can help her."

He could, but it wouldn't work. It never did, not when he needed it. She was staring up at him, her green eyes meeting his. "I can't get it to work," he cried. "I'm sorry." Her hand touched his cheek and he turned his face into it in response. It even felt the same, smelled the same. For the first time since he'd gotten there she looked at him like he remembered. Eyes gentle and kind, with a soft smile on her face. Then slowly her hand slipped away and her eyes closed. "No, no." He grasped her face again, clinging to some chance that it would work, it had to. "Please, you can't! You can't leave me!"

Slowly Elliot stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back. "Connor."

"No!" Connor exclaimed, throwing Elliot's arm off as he turned to glare at his friend, his eyes red and angry. "What difference does it make? How much time do I have? Minutes!"

Elliot felt the weight of what was happening settle on him. He felt as if he should say something to his best friend, but Connor's loss was greater at that moment. Nodding he stepped back, glancing at Oliver Queen, noting the redness in his eyes and the silent tears. Suddenly, Oliver was backing away, moving towards his bow.

"No, Oliver." Clark insisted, trying to fight back his own grief to stop his friend.

"Don't stop me Clark." He retrieved his bow and arrow from the floor, but Clark's hand on his arm slowed him. "I don't care about your code or your honor or whatever it is Clark. I'm going to kill her. I'm going to put an arrow straight through her heart and mount her to Queen Towers."

"Wait, just wait!" Elliott yelled as he watched Connor, bent over Chloe's body. "Chloe, she's, she's his mother. If she's dead, then so is he. Connor only has minutes before he's gone." He looked to Oliver Queen and opened his mouth, trying to find a way to tell the man in front of him the rest of the news before it was too late.

Connor buried his face into her neck, squeezing her to him. The universe could take him, but he wasn't letting her go until it did. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry. I should have done it differently. I thought I knew what I was doing. I should have told you or Dad or somebody. I love you and you didn't even know me."

His eyes closed so tightly, he didn't even see the light that suddenly began to envelope him and his mother. He thought he heard his name – Elliot most likely – so he started to draw away and then he felt it, pulling at him, draining him. Immediately, he held on tighter and began to plead against her neck, slowly losing consciousness as he remembered a time when he was much younger and had hurt himself with one of his dad's bows that he wasn't supposed to be playing with.

He'd popped his fingers hard enough to leave welts, so she'd lifted him into her lap as she sat on the floor, clucking her tongue and shushing him gently. He'd kept his face buried in her neck while she passed her hand over his injury, erasing the pain.

"_But Dad said not to-"_

"_Dad said not to heal unless it was absolutely necessary."_

_He nodded up at her, calm now that the stinging was gone. She wiped gently at his cheeks._

"_It was necessary because what Dad doesn't know saves you and me from hearing the hour long lecture on the responsibilities of an archer."_

_She smiled down at him, green eyes soft and, in his opinion, laughing slightly at his father's expense. _

"_But really Connor, I hope you learned your lessen. Dad tells you to stay away from them because you'll get hurt. We won't always be there to clean up for you baby. Okay?"_

_He nodded in response. And after she pressed a kiss to his forehead, he scrambled off her lap._

"_Alright, well let's go find out when Mr. Green Bean himself is getting home. I'm starved."_

_Connor laughed and ran ahead of her, nearly knocking her over as he ran out the room._


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe gasped in panic, pulling air greedily into her lungs. She was finding breathing nearly impossible and it took her a moment to realize that the problem was because of the young man lying heavily upon on her chest.

"Chloe?"

The voice was familiar, but she barely noticed it as she bent her head forward and grasped the face buried against her neck. If Oliver hadn't been standing to her side, she would have thought it was his blond head and it hit her then that she hadn't been dreaming.

"Oh no." Chloe yanked Connor's head from her neck to find his eyes closed and his body unmoving. She sat up, trying to hold him against her so he didn't slip onto the floor, but the others were already there helping her. "Lay him down," she instructed as she quickly moved off the sofa to make room.

"Chloe, be careful," Clark warned gently.

"I'm fine," she snapped as she sat on the edge of the sofa and pressed her fingers to the young man's throat. No pulse. Fighting back tears as she remembered her dream, she turned quickly to the group. "He can heal?"

Elliot nodded. "But it never works right. I mean it never works when he wants it to."

She turned back to the young man lying next to her. "Has he died before?"

"No," Elliot answered thickly. "He hasn't tried healing anything worse then some non-fatal bullet wounds. Usually we just brought them to yo-." He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was about to say.

"Sometimes, when I would heal, I would pick up on bits and pieces of people, flashes of memories and feelings," Chloe murmured. "When Connor healed me I think I saw one of his memories, something from his past…"

Suddenly, everything clicked for Chloe and she realized just who Connor was and why he reminded her so very much of Oliver; why he had memories of her caring for him as a boy. Swallowing thickly, her eyes went from Elliot to Clark and back again, putting more puzzle pieces together in her mind. Elliot's eyes widened in panic as he watched her, realizing the discovery she'd made. She opened her mouth to speak, but Elliot shook his head urgently and the pleading in his eyes silenced her.

"Are you okay?"

Chloe turned dazedly and found Oliver leaning against a table, almost at eye level with her. "Yea, I'm fine." She met his eyes for a brief second, wanting to say something, but unable to bring herself to do it.

"Why don't we move him out of here," she said instead looking expectantly to Clark before she stood and turned to Elliot. "I'd like a word with you."

* * *

"You know the two of you are creating a mess here, don't you think?" Chloe asked the young man in front of her.

"It wasn't like we had a choice," Elliot argued. "We didn't know what Cheshire was planning until it was too late."

"And Clark? Lois?" Chloe leaned forward to whisper harshly. "Is Cheshire after them or you?"

He ground his teeth together. "Both, I guess. If she can't take him out, she'll go after my Mom, knowing what that will do him and what that'll mean for me."

"And Oliver, does he know?"

"No." Elliot shook his head quickly. "It wasn't our intention for it to happen like this. We thought Cheshire would go after my Dad first."

Chloe could see he was honestly upset, so she did her best to back off a little. "I have kryptonite here," she sighed. "I never even thought she'd be bold enough to try for it."

"She likes a challenge," he shrugged. "Plus, facing off against Connor would have been a bonus for her. She has a personnel vendetta against him and the Green Arrow and I'm willing to bet she was thrilled with the prospect of killing you so she could ruin Oliver's life and eliminate Connor in the process."

* * *

Stepping over debris, Oliver surveyed the damaged Watchtower for anything out of the ordinary. He stopped when he came to the spot where he'd found Connor and Chloe, remembering the sight of the young man shielding her body so protectively. A bow, a cross bow and arrows were scattered on the floor and he recognized the equipment as his own; spares that he kept stashed at the Watchtower. He thought of what he'd seen during the fight, how he'd watched their visitor from the future take aim at the women in green. Thing was, the young man hadn't hit her.

He swung around towards to the area where the assassin had been standing, his eyes scouring for some clue and finding yet another arrow; one he hadn't fired at Cheshire. Picking it up, he studied the tip. There wasn't a spec of blood on it, which meant it hadn't made contact with anyone, but the once sharp metal was completely ruined, so he knew it had hit something. Something hard.

Then he remembered Cheshire's words to Connor.

"_I'm pretty sure I'll hit you next time."_

In the heat of the moment, Oliver had assumed she meant that Connor had avoided her shot, but now he was beginning to wonder otherwise. Oliver walked throughout the tower, flipping on every light, and then started slowly pacing the floor, taking his time. At some point during his search, Chloe and the other young man entered the main room again. He could feel the two pause and share a glance, wondering what he was up to, but neither said anything and after a moment, they went in separate directions; Chloe towards the back bedroom where they'd left Connor and Elliot in search of Clark.

Normally he would have said something to Chloe, explain himself and what he was doing, but he was determined to find what he knew was there. He was on the floor, searching beneath the computer desks when he'd finally found what he was looking for. The bullet had rolled far underneath the desk, but he was able to reach it and when he pulled it out and held it up, the first thing he noticed was the familiar mark for the arrow's tip. Glancing around again to be sure he was alone, he went over to Chloe's computers and thanks to the fact that the Tower's security was provided by Queen Industries, it wouldn't be long before he'd be able to view the video footage of the fight.

After their run in with the Dark Archer, Chloe had made a point of keeping a certain amount of equipment on a back up generator. The video feed was one of them.

As he worked to pull up the footage, he glanced towards her bedroom, expecting her to appear at any moment. He'd prefer to view it on his own, but if she walked out he'd be honest. There was no reason for him not to look at it.

* * *

Chloe stayed with Connor for the good part of an hour, but knowing how long it had taken her to recover from such feats of healing, she figured it could be a while yet before he woke. In the back of her mind she considered the worst, but quickly pushed that aside. When she walked back into the tower Oliver was still there, as she had expected, but this time he was sitting on the sofa, two arrows lying across his lap.

"What's wrong?" She asked and watched as his eyes flickered to the side, landing on the large monitor before turning back to her.

He waited silently for her reaction as she took in the paused video of the fight with Cheshire. Her lips pursed together and he had his answer.

"So you knew," he mumbled.

"Just then," Chloe admitted. "Up to that point, he hadn't told me anything about myself. Though, now that I think about it I can see Cheshire was threatening to kill me as a way to kill Connor." She noticed the two arrows again in his lap. "What's that?"

Oliver grasped the arrows below the head and surveyed them again. "Do you know how hard it is to stop a bullet with an arrow? Let alone two?"

"You could do it," she said softly, acknowledging the thing they were both too aware of.

"And there is no way he could be lying? Somehow-."

"No," Chloe interrupted, shaking her head as she looked at him with pity. "Oliver, are you serious? That memory I saw," she shook her head, "it… it was more then I would have expected, and I-." She stopped again, swallowing. "I don't-." Her words broke off as she found it impossible to speak. It still clung to her, that one memory of Connor's, warming her and making her feel things she hadn't in a long time, things that she hadn't wanted to feel again.

"Chloe..." He sighed and stood up, placing the arrows to the side as he made his way over to stand in front of her. Wrapping an arm around her body, he pulled her close to his chest. "We agreed that it was nothing, that it was for the best that we ended it, remember?"

"I know," she cried into his chest. She wasn't normally prone to breaking out into tears - especially over the past couple of years - but the memory had affected her more than she would have liked.

"Then what happened?" Oliver asked, but wasn't necessarily expecting an answer. He figured neither one of them knew. She only shook her head, still crying against him. "What did you see?"

"It was nothing," Chloe shook her head. "It was just something simple." She wanted to tell him, she really did, and maybe in time she could, but not now. Not only was it too hard to put into words, but she had a feeling he wasn't ready to hear it.

"Then why are you upset?" He tried, not wanting to pry, but needing some hint about what she'd seen, some hint of the supposed future.

"It was good," she admitted. "Almost too good. It was his memory and I could feel how he felt. He loved me, and I loved him just as much."

Just then, someone cleared their throat and the two jumped apart to find Clark standing there awkwardly.

"Can we talk?" Clark asked, trying not to notice how close they still seemed to be standing to one another.

Chloe nodded and automatically started towards Clark, only to stop and face Oliver one more time.

"Oliver, his memory, he loves you too. He wants be just like you."

He watched her resume her march over to Clark, leaving him frozen for a moment as her tried to absorb what she'd just said, what she had left him to think over. No matter how many times he replayed what had happened he just couldn't fully understand it, because in his mind there was no way that the twenty-something man in the back bedroom was his son, even if the evidence was stacked against him. There was no way he and Chloe went against their previous decision to never cross the friendship line again, even if he still thought about her whenever his mind wandered. Even if he kept catching himself watching her whenever she wasn't looking, even if all he wanted was to touch her again.

It didn't matter. There was no way that years from now he found himself in the happy scene she'd just described, even if she now believed in it so positively.

* * *

Chloe sat in the cushioned chair that Clark had brought in for her hours ago, typing away at her laptop, waiting. Ten hours she waited and then, finally, he gasped. She shoved her laptop onto the table and slid over to sit on the edge of the bed. He grasped wildly for purchase on the mattress, digging his fingers into it. His wide green eyes stared up at the ceiling, almost appearing to not really be seeing.

"Your okay," Chloe pressed her hands to his chest and forced him to settle back into the bed. "Your fine," she whispered, combing her fingers through his blond hair. Hair that felt just like Oliver's.

Slowly, the blackness began to fade to grey and, eventually, a blur of colors began to sharpen before his eyes. "Mom?"

She stilled her hand on his hair. "Connor."

Then he saw her, younger then he remembered and it all came rushing back. "You're alive!" He sat up and looked down at himself. "I'm alive."

"Yea, you saved us," she said with a soft smile.

"How? When I tried I couldn't even-."

"Empathy," Chloe revealed. "The first time I healed-."

"Lois. You said you were upset." Chloe nodded in response and it took him a moment to realize that she'd figured it all out. "You know," he whispered and she nodded again. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, needing to know specifically what she knew. "What do you know exactly?"

"Cheshire said you were a Queen," Chloe told him softly, trying her best to keep the conversation light, despite their current situation. He wasn't ten, had quite a few inches on her and probably outweighed her by nearly 100 pounds, but she remembered how he'd clung to her as she'd laid there dying; how he'd cried. "There is only one person I know who can deflect a bullet with an arrow."

He looked at her again and then quickly glanced away. "When you heal," she continued, "sometimes there's a transfer of memories and feelings." Chloe paused, waiting to see if there was any kind of recognition in his face, but his features remained stoic, so like Oliver's. "I saw something. A memory."

He turned back to her, knowing exactly which memory he had grasped to when he'd been fading away. "The bow," he murmured and when she nodded her confirmation, he sighed. "You, well my Mom," he started, "is always pretty supportive of my decisions, even some of the dangerous ones."

"But?" Chloe heard it coming. For some reason she expected something else, not the small smile that slipped over his face.

"Not my Dad. He was always paranoid always insisting I was going to go out and get myself killed one day. For the first eight years of my life he forbade me to even step near a bow and arrow." Connor chuckled softly to himself. "It was around that time that you walked in the house with a brand new bow in hand, made especially for me, and you slammed it on Dad's desk and said he had to teach me or else you were sending me to Gotham City so I could train to be Robin."

She couldn't help but smile at the image in her head. "Did it work?"

"You don't stop bullets unless you learn from the best." He smirked to himself as he recalled how his father bellowed through the house for him to get outside in five minutes.

"Not too fond of Batman?" Chloe inquired, unable to ignore the way her spirits were lifting as she listened to the story.

"They're too much alike to stand in a room with one another for more than five minutes." She smiled in response, but Connor quickly moved away from the moment. "Does he know?"

Chloe felt the grin fade from her lips. "He suspected a little when he saw the extra bow, but he knew the whole story once he found the security footage from your fight with Cheshire. It has audio."

He nodded, not all that surprised.

"And I know that Clark and Lois are Elliot's parents." He seemed slightly shocked that she had learned so much. "Just me though" she assured him. "He didn't tell me, I just put it together after I realized your connection to us and I remembered you saying you two were childhood friends. I can't imagine having a son whose best friend was Kryptonian who could be anyone else's son. Besides, I've known Clark and Lois a long time, I can recognize certain traits."

He nodded in understanding. "We need to find this woman though," Chloe stated. "I'm worried about her getting her hands on some kryptonite, even though I'm monitoring all locations. Plus, I'm worried about Lois. If she got into here so easy, Lois could be in big trouble. If it comes down to it, Clark will protect her, but I don't want to risk exposing him, especially if she has kryptonite..."

He nodded. "I get it."

"Look," Chloe stood up, pursing her lips together nervously. "There's something else you should know. Oliver, he doesn't…" her voice trailed off with a sigh as she tried to figure out how to explain Oliver's reluctance. "He doesn't understand this. I think it scares him."

"I'm not surprised," Connor admitted, biting back his disappointment. He'd always strived to impress his father, to make him proud, even if it hadn't been necessary most of the time. Chloe seemed slightly surprised by his easy acceptance. "I've lived with him for twenty years," Connor shrugged. "He's emotionally stubborn."

At that thought Chloe couldn't help but laugh, although it held no happiness. "And I'm not?"

"You changed," Connor said simply and moved towards the doorway.

* * *

Two hours spent patrolling and Oliver hadn't found a thing. No sign of the villainess from the future and definitely no clarity about the situation with Chloe and Connor. As he made his way slowly back into the Tower, the sound of voices caught his ear and he paused outside the double doors, looking in to see the two people on his mind sitting next to one another at the large desk.

"So how old are you?"

Connor turned to Chloe and grinned slyly. "I can't tell you that. Besides, don't you have any better questions then that?"

Chloe turned to him and couldn't help but smile in return. "Would you tell me if I asked?"

"Noooo." He shook his head and turned back to the monitor, smiling again as he heard her laugh softly next to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Assuming it changes nothing..." Chloe turned back to her keyboard and continued her work as she awaited his questions. Monitoring for Cheshire had yielded no results, so she had widened her searches.

"You and..." Connor paused as he chose his next words, "Oliver, you don't seem..."

She'd suspected he might be a bit curious about the state of her relationship with Oliver. From what she could tell, Connor had only ever known them as happily married and she assumed that her future self hadn't shared the details about how it had all started.

"Together?" Chloe supplied helpfully and she couldn't help but notice concern in his eyes. "It's complicated."

"You like each other right?" He asked bluntly. She frowned at his question and turned away. It wasn't the confirmation he wanted, but it was enough. "Then what's the problem?"

"Things. Just other things," she shrugged, avoiding his questions. It wasn't as if she was about to tell Connor that the brief thing she and Oliver had started has been in secret and consisted mostly of sex. It wasn't until they realized they were actually starting to have feelings for one another that they made the decision to end it.

"Well, those _things_ must not have been as important as you think," Connor stated plainly, his response causing her to turn and look at him, slightly shocked. "I'm just saying," he continued. "It didn't stop you in the end and the two of you are perfectly happy. I mean, as early as I can remember, the two of you were really happy and to see the way both of you are now..." Connor shrugged and scrunched his face. "I don't remember the two of you ever being so...morbid?"

"Nice," Chloe muttered as she turned back to her work. "Things have been difficult lately. We've all gone through a lot of changes over the past couple of years and it's taken some adjusting to."

"I know, trust me. I know about Jimmy, about Davis, about Zod, Dad-," Connor stopped himself when he realized what he said. "I know about Oliver's other issues before you helped him. Which, by the way, I never got full details about. How did you help him exactly?"

"Put it this way," Chloe smiled. "If there was a twelve step program for him, I shoved it all into one step."

Connor rolled his eyes, realizing that even the younger version of his mother wasn't going to reveal that certain gray area of her life. "Anyway, the point is I know about all that stuff." She sighed and turned back to her work, obviously unimpressed. "But it didn't make a difference in the end and, trust me, this won't be the last time the world is in danger, but you usually got through it by working together… Not to say the two of you didn't argue… Actually you do that a lot."

She heard Connor snort slightly and she couldn't help but grin herself.

"Da-," he stopped himself again, then just shook his head, tired of trying to catch himself. "Dad always said that you're both too hard headed to agree all the time."

The double doors swung open at that moment and Chloe turned to spot Oliver entering, hood pushed back, glasses and bow in his hands. He stopped just within the door and looked at her.

"But he does love you."

Chloe looked at Connor, shocked for a moment. Then he grinned and just the sight of him pulled at her heart. If she wasn't dreaming and none of this was a lie, she had to admit, she and Oliver had managed to produce a perfect kid. He was down-to-earth, confident, brave, and apparently, hadn't suffered any ill effects from their secret lives like they had. It didn't hurt either that it was Oliver's smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Chloe, can we talk?"

She turned at the flat tone in Oliver's voice, catching the way he was watching her and Connor closely. Offering a sharp nod, she turned back to Connor and stood. "I'll be right back. Let me know if anything changes."

He nodded and let his eyes follow her as she moved out of the main room, noting the way his father's eyes did the same, but never once looked in Connor's direction. He wasn't surprised, Connor knew that tone of his father's voice.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Oliver whispered harshly once they entered her bedroom.

Chloe looked towards the main room they had just left with confusion and then back up into his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Look I know it appears that kid is-." He couldn't get himself to say it. Instead he shook his head, trying to wipe the thought from his memory. "The point is you're getting attached. I can see it in your face. You're not even trying to keep your distance from him? What happens when he goes back and this whole future he's talking about doesn't-." He stopped at the stricken look on her face.

"Doesn't happen?" Chloe bit out angrily. "Don't worry Oliver, I'm not going to try and talk you into marriage or being a sperm donor." She sighed, trying to calm her nerves and let go of her anger towards him. Oliver hadn't even talked to Connor yet, he didn't understand. "You won't even talk to him."

"Why? He's going back? What's the point?" He couldn't get his mind around the sudden hurt on her face. It wasn't like Chloe to be so emotional, but this kid had done something to her, something that no one had been able to do over the past couple of years. In just a matter of hours, Connor had managed to break down all the walls she had built to keep everyone out, himself included.

"I don't know Oliver," she responded sarcastically. "I guess there isn't any."

He watched her turn away and knew that she wasn't going to let this go. The rift between them would grow even farther if he let her walk away. "Chloe..." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back around. She stopped, waiting, leaving the ball in his court. "I do care about you. It's just that-."

"It's not enough," Chloe said through the lump in her throat, hating herself for falling apart in front of him.

It wasn't until he saw the tears in her eyes did he realize that there was no turning back for her. Whatever she had seen, whatever Connor had told her, she wanted it, and it involved him. Oliver couldn't wrap his mind around it, the fact that she wanted that future with him. "Chloe, I-." The door opened and he was almost relieved for the interruption, because he had no idea what he was going to say.

Elliot poked his head in, trying to ignore the fact that he had clearly just walked in on an argument. "We found Cheshire."


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: Here is the end. I have a one shot planned and is in the works, so don't crucify me. Reviews appreciated.

Cheshire may have been impressive adversary when she ambushed Connor and Chloe, but when she squared off against the combined force of Clark, Elliot, Connor, and Oliver… well, it was a different story. The four men had barely been gone two hours before they returned to the Watchtower with the deadly assassin bound and unconscious over Clark's shoulder.

"Is she knocked out?" Chloe asked as she stood up from her desk and watched the men file in.

"Tranqed her," Oliver explained succinctly, holding up his crossbow tellingly before dropping it loudly on the table. "She didn't want to come quietly."

Her eyes swept over the group, looking for injuries and she felt herself freeze when she spotted Connor holding his hand to his arm. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Connor winced as he grabbed for the towel Elliot offered him and pressed it against his wound. "She just got a little close with that sword of hers."

"Stop being such a sissy," Elliot ribbed as he headed over to check on Cheshire. "If that's still bleeding when we get back, your Mom's gonna be pissed – " The young man stopped short and glanced around at the eyes that were pinned to him. "Sorry."

Fighting to keep herself from glancing at Oliver, Chloe instead focused her attention on Clark. "You've got the ring?" She checked, to which he nodded and reached into his pocket. "Okay, Elliot over here," she instructed. "Let's get this figured out. Connor, as much as I would like to be able to heal you, I can't."

The blond man nodded in understanding. At some point in the future, she'd get her healing ability back, but that hadn't happened yet so he was stuck with the gash that travelled down his bicep.

"Oliver," Chloe called out before joining Clark and Elliot. "Fix him up." Connor opened his mouth to protest, but she simply narrowed her eyes seriously. "Just do it."

Someone snorted at her side and she looked to her right just in time to see Elliot fighting back a grin while next to him, Clark did his very best to avoid looking at her.

Oliver frowned, but headed towards the first aid kit without a fight, knowing he'd pissed Chloe off enough already.

Connor wanted to say that he'd be fine, but a voice in the back of his head warned him to leave it alone. Even if the Chloe in front of him hadn't been his mother for twenty years, he recognized her tone of voice from years of having it directed at himself and, on occasion, his father. The thought of his parents had him glancing over to the younger version of his father, watching as the other man moved mechanically about the Watchtower; back straight, face firm and that ever present dark cloud hanging over him. Again, it was something Connor recognized, but he wasn't used to that kind of dark mood hanging around so regularly. There had been that time when Connor had gotten a hair up his ass to prove to his father that he was just as capable as the Green Arrow, so he'd donned the leather costume and had taken off on the bike. Needless to say, he'd ended up getting a pretty healthy dose of the angry, brooding attitude that Oliver was currently displaying, but this time round, he'd done little to deserve it. Connor had suspected it before, but now there was little doubt that while the Chloe of this time had warmed to the idea of being his parent, Oliver hadn't.

Moving towards him, Oliver nodded to the chairs around the table. "Sit."

Following the order, the younger man took a seat and realized that this was the first time Oliver had been near him or said anything to him since Chloe had almost died.

Taking a seat as well, Oliver's frown deepened as he finally began to notice the obvious resemblance. Even though Connor seemed a little thinner, there was no mistaking their similar, lanky build and their dirty blond hair was one in the same. Surveying the young man's face, Oliver started seeing features that made him feel as though he was staring in a mirror, that is, until he came to Connor's eyes. Instead of dark brown like his own, Oliver was struck by the bright, green gaze that stared back at him.

"You don't believe me," Connor said suddenly, keeping his voice low.

Pulling away from the young man's searching stare, Oliver focused on digging supplies out of the first aid kit beside him. "I haven't made up my mind yet."

"This isn't the first time you've met someone who has time traveled," Connor pointed out.

"No," Oliver allowed as he pulled out the antiseptic.

"So that isn't what bothers you. The time travel. Is it the fact that I claim to be your son?"

Connor waited for a response, but the man before him didn't even seem to falter as he unscrewed the cap on the small bottle. Feeling his jaw tighten, Conner pressed on.

"Would it be more believable if I had a different mother?" He asked lowly.

Instead of answering, Oliver just sighed and kept his attention on the task at hand, dabbing the dropper onto a piece of gauze before pulling the blood stained towel away from Connor's arm.

"Ow," the young man hissed when he was hit with the inevitable sting.

Oliver glanced up at the short exclamation of pain and snorted, shaking his head as he turned back to his work.

"I know the two of you at least care about each other," Connor pushed, unwilling to give up. "So what's the problem? Isn't it enough to know everything turns out okay?"

"It isn't that easy," Oliver dismissed without looking up.

"That's what she said," the young man sighed. "Sounds more like excuses from two people who don't want to get hurt." This time the younger version of his father did look up; two sharp brown eyes glaring at him, warning him to back off.

"Last time I checked," Oliver snapped, "I didn't order and shrink from the future. Feel free to keep your opinion to yourself." He emphasized his point by pressing the antiseptic more firmly against Connor's wound, ignoring the way the young man let out another hiss through his teeth. Connor was just like Chloe, Oliver realized grimly; he assumed that everything he thought was fact.

"It's not an opinion," Connor stated bluntly. "Of all people, don't you think I know?"

Oliver looked up at him again and Connor couldn't help but feel slightly relieved to see that some of the anger had left his eyes. That was all Connor needed to know that somehow, his father was somewhere deep inside the man who was sitting before him, taping a bandage into place. He knew he had to say something before the chance was gone.

"You know I'm good," Connor said, hoping the older man would catch his meaning. He noticed the bow off to the side and nodded at it. "I didn't go join any suicidal cults or anything, but I'm still pretty good."

Oliver smirked at the sarcasm. "It isn't easy to stop a bullet with an arrow, let alone two."

"You noticed," Connor said, the comment a statement rather than a question.

"It was hard not to," Oliver admitted as pressed the last of the tape over the gauze. "Done."

Moving his arm tentatively, Connor tested the bandage and once satisfied, he pulled his sleeve down only to find a sizable a bloody tear in the material.

"What?" Oliver questioned as he watched the frown settle onto the young man's face.

Connor opened his mouth to answer automatically, only to stop himself abruptly. A brief debate seemed to take place behind his eyes before he gave up and simply shrugged.

"Elliot was right," he explained. "My Mom is going to be mad."

"Everything okay?"

Connor looked up at the voice that sounded so identical to his mother's.

"Yea, I'm all ready," he told Chloe as he stood and looked around. "Where's the ring?"

Stepping away from Clark and Chloe, Elliot held up the object in question.

Connor nodded and reached towards it. "Hand it over."

"To the human?" Elliot scoffed as he took an unnaturally quick step backwards. "I don't think so."

"Don't start that shit," Connor growled. "Your mother's – " Connor clamped his mouth shut and glared at Elliot, refusing to even look in Clark's direction. "Fine, you can carry the crazy broad with the bad manicure."

"Ooookay," Chloe interjected quickly, trying to diffuse the situation and press on, hoping that Clark wouldn't pay too much attention to the confusion she could clearly see forming on his face. "Elliot said the two of you can drop Cheshire off with the authorities." Connor nodded in confirmation. "Oliver, how long will that tranquilizer dart last?"

"You probably get another two hours out of it, assuming she doesn't have any other toxins floating through her system that could counteract it."

"Okay, good," she sighed as she looked at the two boys she'd come to know over the last day-and-a-half. Really, _boys_ was the wrong word. When she'd first discovered the pair, she'd correctly assumed that they were about the same age as her, but during their time spent together, she'd slowly come to think of them as younger; they'd become her boys. With a worried look she turned to Clark. "This is going to work right?"

"It should," Clark said as he turned to the two young men. "Just remember," he instructed with a pointed look at Elliot, "you have to think about the time you left and that should bring you directly back there."

"Got it," Elliot nodded. "Thanks for the help." Turning, the dark haired man glanced at his friend. "Why don't you go ahead and grab her," he said, nodding towards Cheshire.

Still perturbed, Connor crossed his arms over his chest.

"Unbelievable," Elliot muttered as he walked towards the unconscious women and lifted her with ease, tossing her carelessly over his shoulder. "If she scratches me, then you better take care of it."

"I guess you better be nice then," Connor quipped.

"Alright, alright," Chloe interrupted again, pleased when Elliot kept whatever scathing remark he had planned to himself. "Less talking and more getting the woman with poisonous nails back to the future before she wakes up." She watched as Connor trudged his way over to Elliot and she fixed the pair with a pointed stare. "Do it just like Clark said. We don't need the two of you landing in another time." She briefly imagined the kind of trouble the two young men would have caused if they'd managed to arrive a few years earlier.

"I've got it, I've got it," Elliot grouched, but when Chloe looked at him sharply, he had enough sense to stay quiet and look away. Turning to Connor she felt her face relax at the sight of him, only to have a sudden pang well up in her chest as she realized this could be the last time she ever saw him. It had crossed her mind that the boys' time traveling may have messed with the future, but she refused to give the fear too much time. No matter what, she'd go on pretending that Connor and Elliot were out there, somewhere, even if things with Oliver never worked out. Pushing her worries down, she offered the two young men a forced smile, hoping they didn't notice. "Be careful okay?" She told them both, moving first to Elliot and wrapping her hand around the back of his neck to pull him down and press a kiss to his cheek.

"Aren't we always?" Elliot grinned, his eyes lighting up with mischief.

Clark was always careful, but Lois on the other hand... Returning Elliot's grin, Chloe couldn't help but suspect that the young man in front of her seemed to have inherited his mother's patented sense of adventure. Poor Clark.

Still smiling, she turned to Connor and took a step forward, only to have him close the space between them to wrap him up in a tight embrace. Closing her eyes, she returned the hug just as forcefully and did her best to remember exactly how he felt, what he smelled like, just in case she never saw him again. "Please, be careful."

"I'd be more worried about you and that stick in the mud over there that looks like my father," he whispered, stealing a glance at Oliver. The older man's face seemed stuck on impassive and for the life of him, Connor wished he could figure out why. Turning his face into his mother's neck, he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that when he returned everything would be as he left it. He took some comfort from the arms that held him, happy to know that she hugged the same, felt the same and smelled the same no matter how old she was. Holding her with his eyes closed, he could almost pretend he was home. "Take it from someone who knows," he whispered softly into her ear, "he does love you."

Her throat thick with emotion, Chloe could only nod and as they pulled apart, she wrapped her hand around his neck – unconcerned about their audience – and pulled his head down to press a kiss to his forehead. Finally, she released him and forced herself to step away. "Go on you two."

Elliot turned to Connor as he readjusted Cheshire on his shoulder. "Ready?"

Connor glanced over at the three people before him once more and then nodded. A hand reached out and grabbed his arm and within moments he was enveloped in a flash of light.

* * *

"It's about time."

Connor barely had a chance to get his bearings before he heard the familiar voice. As he spun around, he opened his mouth to ask what the hell had happened, only to quickly realize who he was seeing. "Uncle Clark?"

"You were expecting someone else?" Clark asked evenly and turned to Elliot. "Ring?"

With a sigh, the young man handed the ring over to his father. "It wasn't our fault."

"You're lucky your mother doesn't know you've been jaunting off to the past," Clark admonished as he tucked the ring away and reached out for the unconscious women. "Cheshire?"

"I'm assuming you already knew that," Elliot responded as shifted the unconscious form over as well.

"What do you think happens when you go to the past Elliot? We just forget?" Clark ignored his son's sigh and turned to Connor, digging into his pocket to pull out a set of keys. "Your dad told me to bring you your car."

Connor groaned and took the keys. "Am I in trouble?"

"Almost getting your Mom almost killed," Clark slanted his eyes at Elliot to let him know he'd be sharing the blame, "and almost obliterating your own existence? Yea, I'd say you're in a bit of trouble."

"But he's been holding on to this for what? Nineteen years?" Connor exclaimed. "He has to be over it by now."

"He was, until the two of you took off with Cheshire and reopened old memories." Clark nodded his head down the alley. "Go on, Elliot and I will deal with her."

With a frown, Connor took off down the darkened alley, dreading the idea of getting home.

* * *

He wasn't even in the door a few seconds before he heard the sound of heels echoing across the floor. Then he saw her, rounding the corner, walking like a woman on a mission and to his relief, she looked exactly the same. "Mom?"

"Come here," she instructed, waving him towards her, but she was faster and had closed the distance between them after he took only a couple of steps. Raising her hand to his arm she pressed it to his bicep, a warm glow immediately spreading through him. After a moment, she peeled the bandage away and smiled. "Much better."

"You should have let him live with it."

At the familiar sound of his father's voice, Connor turned to find the older man standing in the foyer's doorway, his shoulder braced against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oliver, don't be ridiculous," Chloe chastised. "Next time, I'll let you live with it. He did nothing wrong."

Realizing where this was going, Connor knew he had no choice but to defend himself.

"We didn't know Cheshire was going to jump the gun," he argued. "We thought we were just stopping her from taking the kryptonite. And what do you think would have happened if we hadn't gone? Probably worse. Mom definitely would have been dead cause you would have gotten there too late and Cheshire probably would have killed you too. And then with the kryptonite, she would have moved on to Uncle Clark next."

"Are you done?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow. Connor opened his mouth again, but seemed to think better of it and quickly clamped his jaw shut. "Thank you. Go upstairs and get changed. You look like hell."

Chloe watched Connor take off up the stairs and when he was finally out of range, she turned to Oliver with a frown. "Oliver...didn't we just talk about what we'd do when he got home?"

"You did most of the talking and I never agreed." Knowing that wouldn't be the response she was looking for he closed the distance between them and settled his hands on her hips.

"Oh no you don't," Chloe warned as she predicted his actions and pushed at his chest.

"Oh, come on Chlo," he complained as he grabbed her wrists, holding her palms to his chest as he stepped forward again. "I barely said anything."

"But it was enough. You don't listen." Even as she continued to berate him he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer.

"So you've said over the past twenty years."

"I've been saying it longer than that," she pointed out. "Not sure why I put up with it."

"Because I'm charming," Oliver grinned as he dropped a kiss to her lips. "And because you love me."

"But Oliver, we talked about this," Chloe continued, ignoring his kiss. "It wasn't really his fault. I mean, how do we even know whether or not his going back wasn't part of the overall plan anyway? Maybe if he hadn't, then we never..."

Oliver dropped his head back and groaned before looking down at her again. "Chloe, not again. What did I tell you about starting in on all this time travel, space continuum, messing up the past and/or future nonsense? This is what you wanted right?"

"Yes, but-."

"Then drop it," Oliver said, wrapping his arms around her tighter. "And as for Connor, maybe you're right, but he still needs to know he can't go jumping around in time. What if he really messed things up and I ended up married to Dinah or something." She seemed to snarl slightly at the idea and he kissed her nose. "You're so cute when you're being threatened."

"Don't start bringing up Dinah and her attempts to woo you away from me," Chloe snapped. "If you do, then I'll have to bring up one of your friends." She grinned when he let out an unhappy groan and fisted her hands in his shirt to pull him back down to her. "Uncle Brucey maybe?"

"Don't start with that Chloe," Oliver warned. "Last week it was, 'Your wife still looks as good as the day you met her, too bad you're not aging so well.'" When she laughed, Oliver only frowned.

"Oh come on, you know he's only trying to get a rise out of you. Besides," Chloe rubbed her hands over his hard chest, "I think," she slid her hands lower over his muscled abdomen, "you've aged just fine."

"Stop groping me woman or else I'll do something that will scar our son for life." She laughed and pushed at his stomach, making him take a step backwards and drop his hands from her hips.

* * *

Halfway to his room Connor turned around and walked back quietly over the hardwood floors. As he reached the end of the hallway where the staircase began, he stopped and slowly peered his head around the corner to spot his parents still standing in the foyer. There was still a fear, deep in his gut, that he had somehow changed something in their relationship because of his foray into time travel. Maybe he'd said too much, maybe not enough. It was just so hard for him to understand how the two people he had just met in the past were able to grow into the parents he knew. They barely spoke to one another and when they did, it seemed more than strained, especially on his father's part.

Yet when he looked down at his Mom and Dad, their physical proximity to one another told him enough. He watched his father kiss his mother and even though he couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes, he was happy.

They were too far away for him to catch any of their conversation, but he heard his mother laugh and then he almost turned away with disgust as their PDA took on a rather gag-worthy turn, but then they parted as she laughed. Under any other circumstances, Connor would have probably tried to burn his eyes out of his head at the sight of his father grabbing his mother's hand and pulling her back for another kiss that wasn't fit for public, but this time Connor just sighed in relief.

Everything was at it should be. Maybe, in a few days, he'd ask them what exactly happened after he left them in the past. Somehow, he really doubted they made the transition from the two people he met, to the two people standing in front of him very easily.

* * *

For three days she hadn't heard from Oliver and she'd decided if he needed some space, she'd let him have it, even if they never did finish their conversation where he'd revealed he still cared for her.

After Connor and Elliot had left, she'd retreated to her room, fighting back tears at the sudden loss. She'd never expected to form such an attachment to Connor, but in the short time they'd spent together, she'd come to care for him more than almost anyone else in her life. The pain had been rendered worse still by the knowledge that the future she'd seen in his memory, the future he'd told her about, seemed so unattainable.

Chloe didn't love Oliver. Maybe in Connor's time she did, but where they were now... She cared for him to be sure, felt an attraction to him that she felt for no one else, but love him?

As much as she feared never seeing Connor again, the last thing she would do was force something on Oliver he wasn't ready for. So she'd walked away when Connor and Elliot had left, hoping he would follow her, but never really believing he would. Instead, it was Clark who had followed her into her room with a knowing look on his face and he had been the one who held her while she cried. Even though Clark didn't know the entire story, he understood enough to know how much the discovery that she was Connor's mother had affected her, even if Oliver couldn't see it.

The days went on as if nothing had happened. Any communication that needed to take place between she and Oliver had been done by e-mail and even though they both knew they couldn't avoid one another forever, they accepted the situation for the time being.

The third day was drawing to a close when she received a text from Oliver.

_Are you home?_

She'd responded with an affirmative, but hadn't gotten a reply after that. Even so, she couldn't help but be anxious at his cryptic question and ten minutes later, when the doors to the Watchtower burst open and he marched in she'd gasped in surprise.

"Is everything okay?" She worried. "You didn't answer me back and your first message was kind of vague."

"No," Oliver surveyed the space around him, remembering all too easily what had taken place there just three days ago and then turned to face her again, "everything is fine."

Chloe pushed herself up from her chair and took a few hesitant steps towards him. "But there is something right? Or else you wouldn't be here." He just stared at her for a moment, those deep brown eyes seeming to pry into her soul. She wanted to look away from him, but she was determined to hold her ground against his inquisitive stare.

"I needed some time to think Chloe..." She nodded in what he hoped was understanding. "It's just that I don't see any of it the way you do." He paused, waiting for some sort of reaction from her, but when she gave nothing away, he ploughed on. "I have doubts, even though I can see that he-." He lost his nerve for a moment, because admitting that the young man that had visited them only three days ago was their son was admitting too much.

She wasn't used to the uneasy expression on his face. Oliver didn't do uneasy or anxious of nervous. "The whole thing scares the hell out of you," she told him plainly. "Don't you think I can tell?" He stared at her head on, as if he knew it was true, but couldn't quite say it out loud.

"I'm not that person," he swallowed uncomfortably, finally finding his voice again. "I don't know how to be that person. I know how to do what I'm doing now. What happened between me and you, it didn't work. You know that, you agreed." He needed her to remember that it wasn't just his decision to end there short affair. It hadn't lasted long, maybe a few months, and it was when emotions and feelings started getting in the way that they'd both agreed that enough was enough. They both knew it would never be no strings attached and they couldn't operate that way, neither one of them were ready for it.

"I know," Chloe agreed softly, trying to keep her voice from reflecting the pain and regret she really felt. Months ago they had agreed that it couldn't work, that it wouldn't work and that it would only be harder to repair the damage in the end. But then Connor had come along and he had been so sure, so positive that it would all work out. Oliver hadn't seen what she had, hadn't talked to Connor like she had and wasn't feeling for the first time like it could work like she was. "Maybe it's just better if we don't talk about it anymore," she whispered at last, resigning herself to the pain.

She was shutting the door on it, closing the book, putting it behind her. He knew he should have been relieved that she wasn't going to push it or try to convince him that it would work, but it was impossible to feel any relief when every part of him wished he could jump back into it all with her.

Taking a few hesitant steps forward, he stopped when he was only inches from her. "What I said a couple of days ago, before we were interrupted, you know that it isn't that I don't care right?" Her green eyes looked away from him, seeming to focus on something on the floor. He waited for the briefest of seconds before sliding his fingers below her chin and forcing her head back up. "Chloe..."

"But it's not enough right? Wasn't that the agreement?" She knew the tears were shining in her eyes because she was suddenly trying to bury all the feelings she'd been warring with since Connor had left and Oliver started avoiding her. "I get it. There's too much going on in the world and caring for someone outside of that can't compare to the greater good."

His heart thudded in his chest and it was suddenly impossible to swallow. It felt like it had all those months ago when they'd first decided to end it. The pain was fresh again and he had this eerie feeling that when he walked away, the gap between them would larger still. He didn't want to walk away yet, but there was nothing for him to say, so instead he just watched her. Slowly, he moved his hand to cradle her cheek and gently brushed his thumb over her lips. They parted slightly, inviting him to come closer, but then she blinked as she realized what was happening and took a hurried step away from him, forcing his hand to fall from her face.

For the first time she actually felt angry at him. Maybe it was because slowly she was changing. Something in her had changed with Connor, but it hadn't with Oliver, he was the same. "Being alone won't do forever and one day you are going to find someone you love," she told him lowly, wrapping her arms around herself. "It won't be by choice and it won't be planned, but it'll happen and you won't be able to stop it, you won't be able to say no." He just stood there watching her with those intense brown eyes, making her feel as if he was peering into her soul. That look, seeing him standing before her, she couldn't take it anymore. "I hate to be rude Oliver, but maybe it would be better if you go." She said softly, her voice cracking slightly.

It was like she had shut the figurative door in his face. It was what he had asked for, after all, so he shouldn't have been surprised, but for some reason, it still felt like a punch to the gut. With a shaky nod he turned away, heading towards the exit


End file.
